Spring Push and Push-Pull Tab for Tightly Spaced Fiber Optic Connectors

ABSTRACT

A spring push for a fiber optic connector includes an engagement member having a slot to receive a handle that also engages a distal portion of the engagement number. The spring push, along with the handle, allows for fiber optic connectors to be installed and removed from adapters in high density applications. The spring push can be installed into a connector housing and, along with other components, be a fiber optic connector. The engagement member may also originate from other parts of the fiber optic connector.

REFERENCE TO RELATED CASE

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) toprovisional application No. 62/117,490 filed on Feb. 18, 2015, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

Fiber optic connectors, and the locations where they are installed, arebecoming smaller and smaller. This is especially true in high densityapplications. The fiber optic connectors are now smaller than a person'sfinger and they are spaced such that a person can not easily graspindividual fiber optic connectors mounted in an adapter in the highdensity areas. Thus, it can be very difficult to install a fiber opticconnector in, and uninstall from, its respective adapter. Adjacent fiberoptic connectors are generally located too close to allow manualinsertion and removal of a single fiber optic connector using theconnector's outer housing as intended, particularly, when used in higherdensity applications. To facilitate these processes, a component wasdesired that possessed a smaller cross section that could be grasped toinstall and uninstall a fiber optic connector when in a high densityapplication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a spring push for use with a fiberoptic connector that includes a main body having a forward facingsurface, a rearward facing surface, and at least one side portion, twogenerally parallel extensions extending from the forward facing surfaceof the main body away from the rearward facing surface; the twogenerally parallel extensions configured to engage an elastic membertherebetween and each of the parallel extensions having a projection toengage a connector housing of the fiber optic connector, a crimp portionextending from the rearward facing surface of the main body and awayfrom the forward facing surface, the crimp portion having a centralopening to allow optical fibers to pass therethrough and between the twogenerally parallel extensions, and an engagement member having a firstportion and a second portion, the first portion extending from the atleast one side portion away from the main body and orthogonal to thecentral opening, the first portion having a slot, and the second portionextending from a distal end of the first portion and away from therearward facing surface.

In some embodiments, the second portion is substantially parallel to thetwo generally parallel extensions.

In some embodiments, the spring push further includes a handle, thehandle having an insert portion configured to be inserted into the slotof the engagement member.

In other embodiments, the engagement member and one of the two generallyparallel extensions form an opening therebetween, the opening configuredfor receiving a portion of a connector housing and a portion of a handlethat can be inserted into the slot.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a fiberoptic connector that includes a connector housing, the connector housingfurther comprising a ferrule holder and a spring push, the spring pushinserted into an opening from a back end of the ferrule holder and theconnector housing having a latch disposed on a side surface, a ferruledisposed within the opening of the connector housing, an engagementmember having a first portion extending away from the connector housing,the first portion having a slot, and a second portion extending from thefirst portion in a direction away from the back end of the ferruleholder, and a handle, the handle having an insert portion configured tobe inserted into the slot of the engagement member.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present embodiments of theinvention are intended to provide an overview or framework forunderstanding the nature and character of the invention as it isclaimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitutea part of this specification. The drawings illustrate variousembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles and operations of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prior art sleeve used to insert and remove fiber opticconnectors in high density applications;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a spring push andhandle according the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring push of FIG. 2 from theopposite side;

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the spring push of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the spring push of FIG. 2 installed in aconnector housing to make one embodiment of a fiber optic connectoraccording to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 5 witha handle inserted into the engagement member of the spring push;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 6 fromthe opposite side;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 5 incross-section;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 5installed in an adapter;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 9with the handle disposed within the spring push; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 9with the handle being pulled rearwardly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiment(s) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numeralswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art push-pull sleeve that also assists ininserting and removing fiber optic connectors. The illustrated sleeve isdisclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,559,781 and is assigned to thesame applicant as the present application. The sleeve, having anintegral handle, is disposed over the inner and outer connector housingsof the fiber optic connector. As described in detail below, the presentinvention is more integral with a fiber optic connector.

One embodiment of a spring push 100 according to the present inventionis illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. The spring push 100 can be used as a partof a fiber optic connector 200, illustrated in the later figures. Thespring push 100 has a main body 102, the main body having a forwardfacing surface 104, a rearward facing surface 106, and side portions 108(generally there are four side portions, but there could be more orfewer depending on the configuration of the connector housing).Extending from the forward facing surface 104 of the main body 102 aretwo generally parallel extensions 110,112. The two generally parallelextensions 110,112 are spaced to allow for an elastic member, preferablya coil spring, to bias a fiber optic ferrule (see, e.g., FIG. 8) towardthe front (away from the spring push 100) of the fiber optic connector200. Each of the two generally parallel extensions 110,112 have a frontend 114. A forward facing surface 116 is disposed on each of the twogenerally parallel extensions 110,112 to engage the elastic memberdisposed therebetween. See FIGS. 3 & 4. The term “front” and/or“forward” as used herein means that direction where the fiber opticconnector would mate with another fiber optic connector or device, whilethe term rear is used to mean the direction from which the opticalfibers come. So turning to FIGS. 2 & 4, front is the direction shown bythe arrow and “back” or “rearward” is the opposite direction.

Each of the two generally parallel extensions 110,112 also have aprojection 118 on an outside surface 120 to engage a correspondingopening in the fiber optic connector 200 to engage recesses or openings202 to retain the spring push 100 within the connector housing 204 ofthe fiber optic connector 200. See FIGS. 5, 8, and 10-11. Theprojections 118 may also have a chamfered leading edge 122 that allowsfor the front end 114 of the two generally parallel extensions 110,112to more easily enter into the central opening 206 of the connectorhousing 204.

Extending from the rearward facing surface 106 is a crimp portion 130.The crimp portion 130 allows for the Kevlar cords and cable jacket (orother structural members) to be secured to the spring push 100 and thefiber optic connector 200 as is known in the art. As illustrated in thefigures, the crimp portion 130 has an outer surface 132 that ispreferably round and a round central opening 134. However, the shape ofthe outer surface 132 and the central opening 134 may take other shapes,including oval, hexagonal, rectangular, etc. and still fall within thescope of the present invention.

An engagement member 140 extends from one of the side portions 108 ofthe main body 102 of the spring push 100. The engagement member 140 hasa first portion 142 generally extends upward (or outward and away fromthe main body 102) between the crimp portion 130 and the two generallyparallel extensions 110,112 to a distal portion 144. See FIG. 3. Theengagement member 140 also includes a second portion 146, with aproximal portion 148 that extends from the distal portion 144 of thefirst portion 142 toward the front end 114 of the two generally parallelextensions 110,112.

The first portion 142 of engagement member 140 has a slot 150 thatextends into the engagement member 140. The slot 150 receives a handle300, which is described in more detail below, both in structure andfunction. The slot 150 preferably makes an opening on another side ofthe main body 102—in this case about 90 degrees from side portion 108from which the engagement member extends. See FIG. 5. For obviousreasons, the slot 150 can not come in from the bottom because of themain body 102, and coming in from the top presents other issues,including the presence of the second portion 146 and its function,described in detail below. As would be obvious to one of skill in theart, the slot 150 could also come in from the side opposite to thatshown in the figures. The slot 150 has a portion 152 with a generallyrectangular configuration that begins at the edge of the first portion142 and then transitions into a circular portion 154, which correspondsto the configuration of the handle 300. See FIG. 2. If the handle 300had a different configuration, the portion 154 could have acorresponding configuration.

The first portion 142 of engagement member 140 is illustrated as havinga rear surface 156 that is flush with the rearward facing surface 106.See, e.g., FIG. 9. While this allows for the spring push 100 to be cleanand streamlined, it is not necessary and there could be a step betweenthe engagement member 140 and the rearward facing surface 106, or even asmooth transition between the two.

At the distal portion 144 of the first portion 142, the engagementmember makes a turn of about 90 degrees to begin the second portion 146.The second portion extends forward, in the direction of the front ends114 of the two generally parallel extensions 110,112. Preferably thesecond portion 146 is parallel to the two generally parallel extensions110,112, but could be oriented somewhat differently if desired. Thesecond portion 146 terminates at a distal end 160 and a terminal surface162, which faces downwards toward the two generally parallel extensions110,112. See FIGS. 8 and 10-12. As can be seen in FIGS. 5 & 6, there isa space 164 between the second portion 146 and the extension 112. Thisspace 164 is sufficient to accommodate the handle 300 and the connectorhousing 204.

The engagement member 140, when the spring push 100 is inserted into theconnector housing 204, extends partially over the connector housing 204and the terminal surface 162 is near the latch 208 on the connectorhousing 204, reasons for which will be clear below. As is known in theart, the latch 208 secures the connector housing 204 into an adapter,such as the adapter 350 illustrated in FIG. 10, to keep the fiber opticconnector 200 from being inadvertently removed from the adapter 350.

A handle 300 is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 6-7, and 10-12. A majority ofthe handle 300 lies along an axis A-A. A grasping portion 302 is at afirst or proximal end 304. The handle then has middle portion 306 thatis substantially circular in cross section and has a expanded portion(or hub) 308 extending radially outward from the middle portion 306.Between the expanded portion (or hub) 308 and the distal end 310 is aninsert portion 312 that is configured to be inserted into the slot 150.As illustrated, the insert portion 312 is circular in cross section andmatches the configuration of the circular portion 154. When the insertportion 312 is inserted into the slot 150 (see, e.g., FIGS. 6 & 10-11),the expanded portion (or hub) 308 engages the rear surface 156 of firstportion 142 of engagement member 140. Thus, an operator can push on thehandle 300 and the force is translated to the engagement member 140 andthe fiber optic connector through the rear surface 156 of first portion142.

The distal end 310 of the handle 300 extends upward (in the figures, butaway from the two generally parallel extensions 110,112 and out of theaxis A-A) so that it extends beyond the terminal surface 162 of thedistal end 160 of second portion 146 and rests on the latch 208 when thehandle 300 is disposed within the slot 150. The top surface 320 of thedistal end 310 engages or touches the terminal surface 162 of the distalend 160 of second portion 146 while a bottom surface 322 engages ortouches the latch 208. See FIGS. 6-7 and 10-12. When an operator wantsto remove a fiber optic connector with the spring push 100 and handle300, the operator grasps the grasping portion 302 of the handle 300 at afirst or proximal end 304 and pulls rearwardly (to the left in FIG. 9),and the handle 300 moves slightly rearwardly relative to the spring push100 and engagement number 140. As a result, the top surface 320 engagesthe terminal surface 162 of the distal end 160 of second portion 146,which forces the distal end 320 of the handle 300 to move downwardtoward the spring push 100 and simultaneously on the latch 208. See FIG.12. The movement of the latch 208 from the distal end 320 is sufficientto allow the fiber optic connector 200 to be removed from the adapterwith the handle 300. The distal end 310 is configured so that it cannotflex enough so that the top surface 320 disengages from the terminalsurface 162 of the second portion 146. Thus, the distal end 310 engagesthe second portion 146 with enough force to allow the operator to removethe fiber optic connector from the adapter.

As referenced to above and illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 & 8-9, oneembodiment of a fiber optic connector 200 that can be used with theinventive spring push 100 includes the connector housing 204, a ferrule210, a spring 212, the spring push 100, and a boot 214. A crimp ring216, disposed between the crimp portion 130 and the boot 214 is alsoillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10 for completeness. Additional fiber opticconnector elements may also be included but are not illustrated herein,such as guide pins, a pin keeper, etc. These fiber optic connectorelements may also have other configuration and still come within thescope of the present invention and the appended claims. For example, thespring could have a configuration other than the rectangular shapeillustrated herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus it isintended that the present invention cover the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1-17. (canceled)
 18. A spring push for use with a fiber optic connectorcomprising: a main body having a forward facing surface, a rearwardfacing surface, and at least one side portion; two generally parallelextensions extending from the forward facing surface of the main bodyaway from the rearward facing surface, the two generally parallelextensions configured to retain an elastic member therebetween; and anengagement member having a first portion and a second portion, the firstportion extending from the at least one side portion away from the mainbody and the second portion extending from a distal end of the firstportion and away from the rearward facing surface.
 19. The spring pushaccording to claim 18, wherein the second portion is substantiallyparallel to the two generally parallel extensions.
 20. The spring pushaccording to claim 18, wherein the first portion has a slot and the slothas a rounded opening to receive a portion of a handle.
 21. The springpush according to claim 20, further comprising a handle, the handlehaving an insert portion configured to be inserted into the slot of theengagement member.
 22. The spring push according to claim 18, wherein adistal end of the second portion has a terminal surface that faces thetwo generally parallel extensions.
 23. The spring push according toclaim 22, wherein the terminal surface engages a portion of a handleinserted into the slot of the engagement member.
 24. The spring pushaccording to claim 18, wherein the first portion has a slot and the slotopens from a side other than the side portion on which the engagementmember is disposed.
 25. The spring push according to claim 18, whereinthe engagement member and one of the two generally parallel extensionsform an opening therebetween, the opening configured for receiving aportion of a connector housing and a portion of a handle that can beinserted into the slot.
 26. The spring push according to claim 18,wherein at least a portion of the engagement member is flush with therearward facing surface of the main body.
 27. The spring push accordingto claim 18, further comprising a crimp portion extending away from therearward facing surface and away from the forward facing surface.
 28. Aspring push for use with a fiber optic connector comprising: a main bodyhaving a forward facing surface, a rearward facing surface, and at leastone side portion; two generally parallel extensions extending from theforward facing surface of the main body away from the rearward facingsurface; and an engagement member having a first portion and a secondportion, the first portion extending from the at least one side portionaway from the main body and the second portion extending from a distalend of the first portion and away from the rearward facing surface. 29.A fiber optic connector comprising: a connector housing, the connectorhousing further comprising a ferrule holder and a spring push, thespring push inserted into an opening from a back end of the ferruleholder; a ferrule disposed within the opening of the ferrule holder; andan engagement member having a first portion extending away from theconnector housing and a second portion extending from the first portionin a direction away from the back end of the ferrule holder.
 30. Thefiber optic connector according to claim 29, further comprising a latchdisposed on a side surface of the connector housing and wherein thefirst portion includes a slot and a handle engages the latch and theslot.
 31. The fiber optic connector according to claim 30, wherein thehandle extends between a proximal end and a distal end and having amiddle portion, the middle portion having an expanded portion extendingradially outward from the middle portion proximally from the insertportion, the distal end having a flat surface to engage the latch. 32.The fiber optic connector according to claim 31, wherein the handle hasa longitudinal axis and the distal end of the handle curves away fromthe longitudinal axis to engage the second portion of the engagementmember and the latch.
 33. The fiber optic connector according to claim31, wherein pulling the proximal end of the handle away from theconnector housing causes the distal end of the handle to flex afterengaging a forward facing surface of the engagement member therebycausing the distal end to push on the latch.
 34. The fiber opticconnector according to claim 30, wherein the slot of the engagementmember has a first diameter and the expanded portion of the handle has asecond diameter, the first diameter being smaller than the seconddiameter.
 35. The fiber optic connector according to claim 28, whereinthe engagement member extends from a portion of the spring push.